Life Experiences
by Shadow's Vale
Summary: Follow the lives of Cave Johnson and Caroline Mclain as they met as children, stumble through high school, and start a company that impacts their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first Portal 2 story. It's kinda AU, I guess.**

**This first chapter is basically how Cave and Caroline met. Kinda short, but I like how it turned out.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from Portal. Only the OC's are mine. (And they will come later on in the story.)**

**...  
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It was a hot summer day in a little Michigan town. A little girl is sitting on her front porch, playing with her favorite baby doll. Across the street, just a few houses down, a little boy is coming out of his house, carrying a wooden stand. The little girl recognizes the boy as the new kid, who's family had just moved in a couple weeks ago. She watches him as he puts the wooden stand by the sidewalk, and disappears into his house. Curious, the little girl watches and waits to see if he will come back out. A few minutes later, the little boy comes back out, carring a sign, while his mother brings out a pitcher of liquid. The boy hangs the sign on the front of the stand, and tapes it into place. His mother places the pitcher on it, along with some plastic cups. The little girl reads the sign. "Fresh Cold Lemonade. One dollar." The girl smiles and rushes inside to get her piggy bank. Shaking out the money, she counts out some coins, and runs back outside. She crosses the street and walks up to the stand.

"Hi. I have a dollar."

The boy smiles.

"Ok. Here, you can have this then." He hands her the lemonade, and she hands him the change.

"Thanks." she said. "My name is Caroline. What's yours?"

"Johnathan. But you can call me Cave."

Caroline looked at him funny. "Why Cave?"

"Because caves are cool. And I want to be cool too."

Caroline giggled. "Ok, Cave. Nice to meet you."

Cave smiles. "Nice to meet you too, Caroline."

Cave's mom watches from the porch, thinking to herself. _"Such a nice little girl. It'll be nice for Johnathan to make some new friends."_

"Well, thanks for the lemonade. Good luck on selling them."

"Thanks!" Cave said, happily.

Caroline walked back to her own house, and went inside.

...

**What do you guys think so far? I've got a few chapters already done, so I'll try to post them up in a timley manner. The next couple of chapters will still be in thier childhoods. I haven't had this much fun with writting a story in a LONG time. So I hope you guys enjoy it too.**

**If you read, please review. Otherwise I might have to send some combustible lemons your way. :p**


	2. Chapter 2

A week later, Cave had made 28 dollars, and he was proud of himself. He put the money away into a little box he put under his bed. He was saving money for a cave exploring kit he seen in a magazine. His mom told him that if he wanted it, he had to earn the money himself. So that's exactly what he inteded to do. But now he didn't know what to do to make money now. He ran downstairs to ask his mother.

"Johanthan, what have we told you about running in the house?"

Cave looked at his dad. "Sorry." He slowed down to a walk.

"Mom, do you know another way I can make money?"

Mrs. Johnson smiled. "I don't know. Maybe you can ask that nice girl you met the other day. She might be able to help you." Mrs. Johnson hoped this would encourage him to make friends.

"I can't remember which house is hers."

Mrs. Johnson walked up to the screen door. Cave followed behind. "It's that house right there. Now, be careful crossing the street."

Cave looked at her confidently. "I'm 7 years old, Mom. I can handle it."

Mrs. Johnson chuckled. "Well, alright then."

Cave left his house and headed over to see Caroline.

...

Caroline was in her kitchen, trying to wash some dishes. At only 6 years old, it was hard for her to reach the sink, and she couldn't find anything to stand on. Her parents had promised they would be back today. She hoped so. They had been gone all week and she didn't like being alone.

She heard someone knock on the door. Hoping it was her parents she ran to answer it. She was a little disappointed to find it was just Cave from down the street.

"Oh, Hi." Caroline said.

"Hi. Your name is Caroline, right?"

She nodded.

"Good, glad I remembered that." he smiled.

She smiled back.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could help me. I want to buy a cave exploring kit, and I need a new way to make money. Mom said I should ask you if you had any ideas."

Caroline looked at him and shrugged. "I don't know. I never really thought much about making money."

"Oh. Well can I ask your parents. Maybe they would know."

Caroline shook her head. "They're not home right now."

Cave looked concerned. "Your all by yourself. That doesn't sound like fun."

Caroline shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Well, maybe you can come over to my house. That way you won't be alone."

Caroline shook her head. "I can't. Mom and Dad are supposed to be home today. I have to stay here."

"Well, maybe I can ask my mom if I can stay here with you. I'll be right back."

Before Caroline could say anything, he was running back across the street to his house.

...

Cave ran through his front door and up to his mother, who was sitting on the couch watching T.V.

"Mom, can I stay over at Caroline's house."

"Did she ask her parents?"

Cave shook his head. "They're not home right now. That's why I want to go over there. So she won't be by herself."

Mrs. Johnson looked at him. "That little girl is all alone over there?"

Cave nodded.

"Tell you what. Let me talk to you Dad for a minute. Then we'll both go over there."

Cave nodded. "Ok."

Mrs. Johnson went to talk to her husbond. She told him she was going to be going over there to watch Caroline untill her parents got home. Then she put on her shoes and her and Cave walked over to Caroline's house.

Cave knocked on Caroline's door. She answered.

"Hey Caroline, me and my mom are going to stay here with you untill you parents get home."

Mrs. Johnson smiled and held out her hand. "Hi, Caroline. I'm Mrs. Johnson. I'm Johnathan's mom."

Caroline shook her hand. "Hi, Mrs. Johnson."

...

As they walked in, Mrs. Johnson noticed that it looked as though Caroline had been left alone for quite some time. There was a basket of dirty clothes, all of which looked like Caroline's, there was a pillow and a pink flower covered blanket on the couch, and the trash was piled up in the corner. Some of it was in another trash bag sitting on the floor next to the trash can.

_"Who could leave a child this young alone for so long?"_

"Do you know when your parents will be back?" Mrs. Johnsons asked.

Caroline shook her head. "The just said they would be back today."

"How long have they been gone?"

Caroline hesitated. "A while."

Mrs. Johnson knew it was more than just 'a while'.

"They must work really hard, huh?"

Caroline shrugged. "I guess."

_"They probally didn't even tell her where they were going."_

"Do they leave you alone alot?"

Caroline just looked at her for a minute and then looked at Cave.

"Do you want to see my room?" Caroline asked him.

"Ok." Cave said.

Mrs. Johnson watched as both kids ran off to Caroline's room. If her parents weren't home by nightfall, she was talking the little girl with her. No child should be left alone like that.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wanted to go ahead and get this one out there. It's the last chapter of thier childhoods. Don't worry. There are more chapters for the high school part of the story. **

**I hope everyone is enjoying this. I sure am. I wrote the first 8 chapters in one day. So now I get to go over them before I post them. I already went over this one. Made a few changes, but I think it came out better.**

...

Two days had gone by, and since there had yet to be any sign of Caroline's parents, she was still at the Johnson's. Cave seemed to like having a friend over, and Mrs. Johnson thought it was doing both him and Caroline some good. Mr. Johnson would sit on the porch, watching the Mclain's house while Mrs. Johnson tended to the kids and such. He was going to give them a few choice words when they got home.

Caroline and Cave were now watching cartoons on the T.V. Tom and Jerry was on.

"I like Tom. He's funny." Cave said.

Caroline shook her head. "Jerry's better. He's smarter and he makes Tom look like an idiot."

Cave looked at her. "Tom's cooler."

Mrs. Johnson chuckled to herself. Suddenly she could hear her husbond's voice calling for her.

"What is it, Dear?"

He motioned over to the Mclain's house. There was a car in the driveway.

"Oh, they're home."

He nodded. "I'll be right back."

Mrs. Johnson stood on the porch and watched as her husbond crossed the street to the Mclain's house.

"Caroline." Mrs. Mclain called.

No answer.

"Caroline, get in here." Mr. Mclain yelled.

No answer.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Mr. Mclain went to answer it.

"Yes, can I help you?"

Mr. Johnson looked at the other man. "Yes, I'm Mr. Johnson, we live a few houses down from you, and I was coming over here to inform you that your daughter is safe over at our house. Not that you seem to care."

Mr. Mclain looked at him, anger evident in his face. "Excuse me?"

"Well, it's obvious you couldn't have been too worried about your daughter since you clearly left her alone for an extended period of time. Luckly for her, my son noticed and brought it to my wife's attention."

Mr. Mclain had made a fist and was shaking. "Who are you to tell me what to do or not do with my own damn child? It's none of your business!"

Mr. Johnson was having a hard time restraining some of his anger. "Someone has to look out for that sweet little girl. She's too young to be left alone like that. She's only 6 years old!"

Mr. Mclain snorted. "She's been doing just fine for two years now. She doesn't need your help."

Mr. Johnson was really pissed now. "Your telling me that Caroline has been being left alone for long periods of time since she was 4? What kind of parents are you? What could you possibly have to do that you can't take your child with you?"

"That's none of your damn business! I'm done listening to you. I'm going to go get my daughter and don't EVER bother any of us again."

Mr. Mclain pushed past Mr. Johnson and headed across the street.

Caroline and Cave were now drawing with crayons. Cave was drawing a large cave with a man standing in front of it. Caroline was drawing a white horse with a horn on it's head.

"What is that?" Cave asked.

"A unicorn." Caroline said.

"Is it supposed to have a horn?"

Caroline giggled. "Yes."

Suddenly Mr. Mclain came bursting through the living room. "Let's go, Caroline. Now."

Caroline just looked up at her dad. "But, I don't want to go. I'm having fun."

"Caroline Nicole, let's go. NOW!"

Caroline slowly stood up, and followed her dad. As she walked out the door, she turned back and looked and Cave sadly. "Bye." she mouthed, and her and her dad walked back home.

Caroline had been forbidden to ever go back over to the Johnson's again. She had cried. She liked it over there. It felt like a real family. A week later when her parents told her they were leaving again, she felt so empty. They never stayed home long. They left her some money and told her to go to the corner store if she needed something.

"And remember, do NOT go to that house."

Caroline nodded sadly.

"Good. We'll be back on Sunday."

Caroline nodded. It was only Tuesday.

...

After a couple of days, Caroline was really lonley. She thought about going over to see Cave, but she knew she wasn't supposed to.

_"If I go, I'll get in trouble, but I don't like to be here." _

Caroline wasn't sure what to do. Then an idea came to her.

_"Maybe, if I come back before Sunday, they won't know I left."_

She ran to her room and grabbed some pajamas and her favorite doll. As she ran out of the house she had another idea. Going back inside, she grabbed the money her parents had given her. Running to the Johnson's house, she knocked on the door. Mr. Johnson answered.

"Caroline. It's nice to see you."

"Hi, Mr. Johnson. Can I stay here? My parents are gone again, and I don't want to be by myself."

Mr. Johnson looked at her hopeful little face. "Sure."

Caroline's face lit up. "Thank you!"

Mr. Johnson watched her go into the living room and place her stuff on the couch. "Johnathan's in his room if you want to go play."

Caroline nodded. "Ok. Thanks Mr. Johnson."

He nodded. He went into his bedroom, where his wife was reading a book.

"Who was at the door?"

"Little Caroline." he said.

"Caroline?" She sighed. "Her parents left her alone again I'm guessing."

Mr. Johnson nodded. "She wants to stay here. I told her she could."

Mrs. Johnson shook her head. "Poor girl. Are you going to talk to them again?"

Mr. Johnson shook his head. "If I upset them too much, then they might lock her inside or something worse. No, it's better that she come over here, even if they don't know about it."

Mrs. Johnson nodded. "She's always welcome here."

...

Caroline walked into Cave's room. He looked up.

"Hey, Caroline!" He walked up and gave her a hug. "I didn't think you'd ever come back."

She smiled. "Well, I'm not supposed to be here, but I don't like it at my house. So I have to go home before Sunday."

Cave nodded. "Ok. I don't want you to get in trouble."

Caroline pulled out the money her parents had given her.

"Here, this will help you get that cave thing you wanted." She handed him the money.

"But that's your money."

"Well, I want to give it to you."

Cave smiled and took the money. "Wow, thanks. But why?"

Caroline smiled. "Because your my friend."

...

Over the next few years, Caroline would stay with the Johnson's off and on. She only got caught a few times, and she always managed to convice her parents that she'd only been over there for a few hours. They complained at first, but after a while the stopped caring if she was there or not.

By the time Cave and Caroline reached junior high, they had made new friends, and over time, Caroline began spending more time with her two best friends, Brittnay and Amy. By the time high school came around, she had stopped spending nights at the Johnson's all together, but still remained friends with Cave. Junior year would prove to be a year of life changing experiences.

...

**Like I said, this is the last chapter of thier childhood's. **

**Let me know what you all think of this story so far.**

**If you read, please review. I might give you all a piece of cake. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Ok, this chapter isn't the best, but it's kind of needed. There are a set of new characters that will play into the future of Cave and Caroline, and they needed to be introduced, and you guys needed to get an idea of who they are.**

**DISCLAIMER: Cave and Caroline belong to Valve. Amy, Rick, Brittnay and James are mine.**

**...**

"Come on Caroline, we're going to be late."

"I'm coming. Just give me one more minute."

Caroline scrambled through her room looking for her cheerleading uniform. She couldn't remember where she had left it. Her best friends Amy and Brittnay, were waiting in the living room for her. They had a meet today. Finally after practically tearing her room apart, she found it on the top shelf in her closet. Grabbing it she ran to the living room.

"Got it. Let's go."

At that, all three girls ran outside and got into Brittnay's car.

"Oh, I hope Chris notices me." Amy said dreamily.

Caroline and Brittnay rolled thier eyes and laughed.

"If a guy doesn't notice his own girlfriend, then I feel sorry for him." Brittnay said.

Amy laughed.

"Annnnnnnnnnd speaking of boyfriends. Caroline, have you found anyone yet?" Brittnay asked.

Caroline sighed. "Brittnay you know I'm not interested in dating right now."

Amy placed her hand on Caroline's arm. "Honey, every girl dates at 16. It's like a right of passage into adulthood."

Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying, Caroline. This is high school. You should experience as much of it as you can."

Caroline sighed in exasperation. "We'll see."

After a few minutes, the girls pulled up to the stadium, where the meet was being held. The school had a football game tonight and the coach wanted the girls to go over thier routine a few more times before the game started in a few hours. She didn't think they had the pyramid down quite right. Brittnay, being the head cheerleader, was natually the one who would be on top.

At 5' 5", with blond hair, blue eyes, curves, and a D cup breast, Brittnay was the dream girl of almost every guy in school. She had the body of a model, and Caroline sometimes wondered if she had the brains of one too.

Amy, on the other hand, was almost the exact opposite. At 5'3", black hair, brown eyes, and an A cup breast, she had almost no curves. She didn't look physically much older than a 12 year old. However, she had more brains than most of the teachers. Amy said it was because of her Japanese heritage.

Caroline was more or less average. 5' 5", brown hair, green eyes, some curves, and a C cup breast. She wasn't model material, but she still had an hourglass figure, more or less, and even though she wasn't as smart as Amy, she still managed to make straight A's.

...

Once the entire squad had arrived, the coach was running them through the routine. Up in the stands, three guys were watching them.

"We could get in trouble if we're caught up here. Nobody is supposed to be here while the cheerleaders are practicing." James said. "I don't want to get benched this game."

"Relax man." Rick said. "We won't get caught. Nobody really pays attention anyway. They just make that rule so parents won't bitch."

Cave laughed. James rolled his eyes.

Rick reached into his pocket. Pulling out a joint and a lighter, he started to light it when James grabbed the lighter.

"No way man. I'm not going to the game smelling like this shit. If you want to smoke it fine, just not around me."

Rick snorted. "Fine. I'll head down and I'll come back up when I'm done." He decended down the side of the stands.

James moved to sit next to Cave. "Man, Rick's going to get me in so much trouble one of these days."

"Then why deal with him if he's such a risk?"

James sighed. "I honestly don't know."

Cave nodded. They continued to watch the cheerleaders.

"Which one do you like most?" Cave asked.

"Um, considering I'm dating Brittnay, I'd have to say her."

Cave laughed. "I meant, OTHER than her. Who do you like?"

James thought for a moment. "How about that asian girl. She's pretty hot. Love the glasses and pigtails." he said grinning.

"Who Amy? Nah, too flat."

"Well who do you like? I mean, it's not like every girl in school isn't already falling all over you." James said sarcastically.

"Hey, it's not my fault."

James rolled his eyes. "So?"

"Caroline. Easy."

"Caroline? That closet case?"

"What makes you think she's a closet case?" Cave asked.

"Oh, come on. The girl turns down EVERY guy that asks her out. You do the math."

That was true, Cave had to admit. He'd seen some of the most popular guys in school ask her out, and she said no to every one of them. But he had grown up knowing her, and honestly didn't think she was a lesbian. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

"I'd tap that hard."

Cave and James turned to see Rick climbing back up the stands.

"You would?" James asked.

"Yeah. Girl like that is most likely a virgin. They're always fun."

"Your such a douche." Cave said.

Rick shrugged. "I've been called worse."

"Then what does that say about you?" James teased.

Rick looked at him. "I don't really care what other people think of me."

The guys watched as the cheerleaders were breaking up and leaving the stadium.

"Well, looks like the show's over." Rick said. All three boys left the stands.

...

After the meet, the girls had returned to the car and we're hanging out there untill the game. Amy was talking non-stop.

"Did you see them?" They were watching us!" she said smiling.

"They're not really supposed to be there." Caroline said.

Brittnay scoffed. "Oh, relax, it's not like they were hurting anybody."

Caroline shrugged. "That's true, I guess."

Brittnay nodded.

"James Anderson, 17, 5' 8", 180 lbs, Blond, Brown eyes, is the quarterback of the football team. Likes eggs, veggies, and is allergic to cats. Didn't stop wetting the bed untill he was 9. And has an immense fear of clowns." Amy said suddenly.

"Wow." Caroline said. "How did you know all that?"

Amy shrugged. "Oh, ex-girlfriends talk a LOT about a guy right after a break-up."

Brittnay looked at her confused. "The last girlfriend James had before me was when he was 11."

"Yep, her name was Tera Kimble."

"Wow." Brittnay said, half laughing.

"Johnathan "Cave" Johnson, 17, 5' 7", 167 lbs, Brown hair, Blue eyes. Makes good grades. Has been known to smoke pot on occasion with his friend Rick. Likes cars, wolves, and, of course, caves. Has never learned to ride a bike."

"I knew all of that." Caroline said.

Amy laughed. "Well, duh, you guys have know each other for, what, 10 years?"

Brittnay laughed.

"Rick Stevens, 18, black hair, green eyes. 5' 7", 154 lbs, heavy pot smoker, loves to skateboard, lives on his own, is an only child. Likes sex and alcohol. Loves receiving blow jobs."

Caroline and Brittnay just looked at her, both with matching shocked expressions.

"What? It was only once."

"Your such a little whore sometimes, you know that?" Brittnay asked.

Amy got defensive. "I'm not a whore. Just looking for the right guy."

Brittnay put her hand on Amy's shoulder. "Hey, I was only teasing."

"You better have been." Amy said smirking.

Caroline laughed.

...

The game started a few hours later. The cheerleaders got to do thier routine, and the couch was more satisfied with the outcome. They whole school was excited, mostly because thier team won. After the game, the girls were headed back to Brittnay's car.

"Hey, Amy."

Amy turned around to see her boyfriend, Chris, headed thier way.

"Hey, Chris." she said, as he gave her a quick kiss.

"You want to come over to my place tonight? My parents are gone this weekend and I could use the company."

Amy smiled big. "Sure. I'd love to." She turned to her friends. "I'll see you guys later."

Caroline and Brittnay wave good-bye as they got in the car.

On the drive home the two girls talked about thier plans for the weekend.

"Why don't you just come to my house. It's got to be better than being home alone."

Caroline nodded. "Ok. Even if my parents come home this weekend, they most likely won't even notice I'm gone."

"Then it's settled. We'll stop by your place, grab a few things and head out."

"Works for me." Caroline said. She usually enjoyed spending time anywhere else but that empty house.

As Caroline was packing her clothes and such, Brittnay talked about Amy and how often she switches boyfriends.

"Poor Chris doesn't stand a chance. Amy will find someone she likes better, and it's adios Chris, hello new guy."

Caroline shook her head. "Poor Chris."

Brittnay nodded. "What she needs to do is pass some of that boyfriend craze to you. That way she'll slow down, and you'll get in the game."

Caroline sighed. This was going to be a long weekend.

...

**Ok, now that's done. I hope it wasn't too dreadfully boring. Next chapter should be better.**

**Please let me know what you think. A writer can only improve if he or she is given feedback.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I just wanted to thank everyone who has read/reviewed this story so far. It makes me smile to know other people are liking this as much as I am.**

**DISCLAIMER: Portal and/or it's characters are mine. I only own the OC's.**

...

Cave sat in his room, bored out of his mind. He decided to see what Rick was up to. After 5 rings, he finally picked up.

"What is it man?" Rick said.

"Hey, you busy?"

"No, why?"

"I was wondering if I could come crash at your place. It's kinda dull around here."

"Sure, no problem man. I've got a joint here with your name on it."

Cave smiled a little. "Great. Be there soon." He hung up the phone.

Cave went down the stairs and grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Johnson asked.

"James house." Cave lied. "He wants me to come over and play games with him. Would it be ok if I stayed the night?"

"Sure. Just make sure your home before noon tommorrow. Your father and I are going out of town for a couple of days, and you won't be able to get in the house after we're gone."

"Ok, no problem. Bye, Mom."

"Bye Johnathan. Have fun."

Cave walked out the door. He pulled out his cell phone and diled James's number.

"What's up, Cave?"

"Hey, if my Mom calls, I'm at your house playing games."

"Heading over to Rick's?"

"Yeah, and you know how much my parents hate him."

"Ok, no problem man."

"Thanks." He hung up his phone.

Cave got into his car and drove to Rick's house.

...

Once at Rick's, the two guys settled in to somking some pot, and watching some porn. Cave wasn't too into either one, but sometimes it helped to unwind and keep his life interesting.

"Do your parents know your here?"

Cave laughed, handing the joint back to Rick. "Hell no. They think I'm at James's house."

Rick laughed. "How funny."

Caved laughed. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

Rick reached over and picked up a notebook. He wrote down something. Cave couldn't tell what it was.

As if reading Cave's mind, Rick said, "It's a list of all the girls I've banged this year so far. I'm hoping to add more to the list." He passed the joint to Cave.

"What does it matter how many or which girls you've been with?"

"To know I got the most out of the best time of my life."

Cave didn't know if that was really the way to enjoy high school. He supposed it was different for everyone. He always figured he'd have a girlfriend, have lots of friends, graduate, and head to college to be a businessman. Compared to Rick's life, that sounded boring.

The boys spend the remaining part of the night smoking and talking. The crashed for the night and Cave made sure to set his phone alarm for 10 am.

...

The next morning, Cave was woken up to the loud and annoying sound of his phone. Reluctently, he sat up and turned it off. He gathered his things and headed out to his car. What he didn't expect, was to find his parent's car parked right next to his.

_Shit. This is EXACTLY what I wanted._

As he walked twoard the cars, his father got out of the car. "Get in the car, now." Cave did so without a word.

Cave sat in the car with his dad, while his mother drove his car home. The entire way his father did nothing but yell at him for going to Rick's house, even though he was specificly told never to hang around him again.

"Do you want to screw up your life? Cuz that where Rick is headed, and that's where you'll be headed if you continue to hang around him!"

Cave just rolled his eyes.

Mr. Johnson sighed. "Son, I worry about you. I know this is a difficult time in any kids life. But some of the choices you make now will affect your future. You have the brains and the drive to be anything you want. I'd hate to see you throw that away over some loser like Rick."

"Rick is not a loser, he's my friend."

Mr. Johnson scoffed. "If he was really your friend, he wouldn't get you involved with drugs."

Cave just looked out the window.

"So what's my punishment?"

Mr. Johnson was mad again. "Are you even listening to me, Johnathan? Do you even care about your future?"

Cave sighed. "Yes, Dad. I care, ok. I just don't see the big deal. It's not like I smoke pot all the time."

"One time is once too many."

Cave rolled his eyes. "Punishment?"

Mr. Johnson sighed. "No car. No going to friends houses. No friends coming over to our house until we say otherwise."

Cave sighed. "Dad, come on..."

"Don't you even start. Your fault. You screwed up, now you have to pay the concequences."

Cave just looked back out the window. He couldn't believe his parents were overreacting like this.

...

The next day at school, Cave had a hard time getting to class. Every single girl in school was following him around, as usual. Slipping into the gym, he was finally away from them. He saw his friends playing basketball and after placing his things down, went over to play with them.

"Hey, Cave. They mob you again?" James asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes it gets overwhelming."

"Yeah, I imagine it would."

"Noticed your Dad dropped you off this morning. Get your car taken?" Rick asked.

Cave nodded.

"Hey, your night couldn't have been worse than mine. At least your parents are concerned about you. All my dad does is yell at me." James said.

"You guys get into it again?" Rick asked.

James sighed. "Unfortuneatley. He was upset because I didn't make that touchdown last friday. Told me only losers mess up the way I did." James looked defeated.

"Hey, nobody's perfect man." Cave said.

"According to my dad, I'm supposed to be."

"Your dad is wrong." Rick said.

"I agree with Rick."

James looked at his two best friends. "Thanks guys."

In unison, Cave and Rick replied, "No problem."

"Ok, changing the subject to one that does not include my life," James said. "Cave when do you think you'll start dating again? Cuz untill you do, those girls are not going to give you a moments peace."

"I don't know. I'd like to date a girl I actually like. Not use one as a shield."

"Well, then it looks like you need to find one you like, and quickly." Rick said, sinking another basket.

_Wonder how I'm going to do that._

"Hey, what about that Caroline girl? You told me she was your favorite cheerleader and you guys have been friends for a long time. Maybe you should try asking her out." James offered.

"Caroline turns down every guy that asks her. What makes you think I'd be any different?"

"Hell if I know, but it's worth a shot right? I mean, what's the worst that could happen? She say no?"

_And it could ruin our friendship._

"I don't know." Cave said. "I just don't think she'd go for me. She's the only girl in school who doesn't fall all over me."

"You'll never know if you don't try." James said.

_James does have a point. Maybe I should ask her._

**...**

**Well, looks like Cave is going to ask Caroline out. Wonder how that's going to go? ;)**

**If you read, please review. I'd like to know how I'm doing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Chapter Six is here.**

**I'm really glad that people like this story. I'm currently working on writting chapter 11 right now. I'm finding as much freetime as I can to write. (I have a one year old.) Knowing you guys are liking this helps keep me motivated, so please continue to let me know what you guys think.**

**Ok, I'll shut up now. LOL**

**DISCLAIMER: I only own my OC's. Everything else belongs to Valve.**

...

It was Tuesday morning, and Caroline didn't want to get up.

_The bed's too comfortable._

Slowly she crawled out of bed and turned off her alarm. She walked into the living room to find an envelope on the coffee table. On the front it said: "For Bills".

_Mom and Dad must have been here._

Picking up the envelope she took it to her room and put it in the top drawer of her nightstand. She'd pay the bills tommorrow. She walked into the bathroom and ran water for her shower. As it was heating up, Caroline went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. The smell of coffee was one of her favorites. After getting the coffee started she headed back to the shower. She adjusted the water and climb inside. Standing underneth the shower head Brittnay's voice kept flooding into her mind.

_..."What she needs to do is pass some of that boyfriend craze to you. That way she'll slow down, and you'll get in the game."_

_Caroline looked at Brittnay, "Why are you and Amy so dead set on me having a boyfriend?"_

_"Because, Honey, your so lonley, and yes you have us, but a boyfriend would be someone you could get closer too. Someone you can kiss, and hold onto. Someone to love you. Your 16. It's time to start experiencing some life. You can't stay in this house alone forever."_

Caroline wondered if Brittnay was right. What if having a boyfriend would make her happier?

Caroline finished up her shower, got dressed, drank a cup of coffee, and headed off to school.

...

Caroline wasn't sure how to go about deciding on a guy. Most of them were not guys she ever thought about dating. She wondered how she was going to decided. She was so absorbed into her thoughts, she didn't notice Cave sit in the desk next to her's.

"Thinking hard already?" Cave asked.

Caroline snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, hi, Cave. Sorry, didn't see you sit down."

"It's alright. What's got you so lost in thought?"

"Nothing really."

Cave knew better. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about it."

Cave didn't believe her, but decided not to press her.

"So whatcha doing for lunch?" Cave asked instead.

"Nothing really. Why?"

"How about you and me go get something off campus. Sure beats the school food."

"Tell me about it." Caroline laughed. "Sure, sounds good."

The math teacher cleared her throat. "Attention class. Please turn you books to page 125 and do all the problems on that page. Remember to show your work."

"Kinda hard when I do them in my head." Caroline mumbled.

Cave snickered.

...

When lunch time came around, Cave and Caroline walked up to the burger place up the street. Cave appologized for not having his car.

"My parents are still pretty steamed."

"It's ok. I don't mind walking."

Cave smiled. _Maybe this is a good time to ask her._

"Hey, Caroline can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Well, I don't know how your going to respond to this, but... " _Just ask her. _"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime. Like on a real date."

Caroline stopped. "Cave..."

"Oh, god. Your going to say no, aren't you?"

She sighed. "Look Cave, we're really good friends. We've grown up together. I just don't know if I could ever see you as anything else."

Cave felt like he'd been punched in the face.

_I almost knew she'd say no. Why did I even get my hopes up?_

All he said was, "Oh..."

Caroline felt bad. Cave was such a sweet guy and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Look, I don't see you as a boyfriend right now. But who knows. Maybe one of these days I will. So, can we still be friends? That way your still there if that day ever comes?"

"What if I'm not single then?"

"Then I guess that's a something I'll have to deal with then, huh?"

_She's giving me a chance to keep our friendship._

Cave nodded. "Ok."

Caroline smiled. "I can go back to campus if you don't want me around right now. I'll understand."

Cave shook his head. "No, it's ok. Let's just go get something to eat."

Caroline nodded. "Ok."

...

After school was over, Amy and Brittnay were giving Caroline the third degree.

"How could you turn him down? He can have any girl at school, and he wants you." Amy cried.

"I just don't think I could see him that way."

"Honey, you've got to do something. You can't just turn down every guy that asks you out. What you need to do is don't think. Just say yes to the next guy that asks you. Don't analyze him, just say yes." Brittnay said.

Caroline didn't know if she liked that idea.

"Brittnay's right. Say yes to the next one. Have an adventure to the unknown. See what happens."

Caroline remembered Brittnay's words again.

_"...It's time to start experiencing some life. You can't stay in this house alone forever."_

"Ok." Caroline said. "I'll do it. The next guy that asks me out, I'll accept."

Amy squealed in delight, and Brittnay smiled.

_Oh, lord what am I getting myself into?_

...

Four days later, Caroline was at the park, sitting on a picnic table. It was after dark and she liked to look up at the stars sometimes. She wondered how many there were and if scientist had named them all. She heard footsteps come up from behind her. Getting up, she looked to see Rick walking toward her.

"See you like looking at the sky."

Caroline stared. "What do you want, Rick?"

Rick tilted his head. "Word is that you will date the next guy that asks you out. That true?"

Caroline crossed her arms. "What does it matter to you?"

"What if I want to ask you out? I'd be the next person, so you'd have to say yes."

Caroline glared. "I can easily just say no to you. No like anyone would know."

"True. But you would. You'd know that you cheated on your own promise."

Caroline thought about that. He was right. She'd know.

_I promised Amy and Brittnay I wouldn't think._

"So you want to go out with me?"

Caroline inwardly groaned, uncrossing her arms. "Fine. When?"

"Right now."

Caroline hadn't expected that answer.

"Now?"

Rick nodded.

"Um, ok."

He held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go back to my place. We can watch a movie."

Caroline wasn't so sure about that. But Brittnay and Amy had said not to think, just to take a trip to the unknown. So she took his hand and let him lead her to his car.

...

**Didn't work out quite like you'd think huh? PotterPhantomKitten, you said Rick was a jerk. Just wait until next chapter.**

**Reviews are great. Helps me know what I'm doing good or not good.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Ok, I think this one was kind of on the border for rating this story M, hopefully it'll be ok to leave it at a T.**

**DISCLAIMER: Belongs to Valve. I own the OC's.**

**...**

They pulled up to Rick's place just a little before midnight. The got out of the car and walked up to the door.

_I'm not sure I want to be here._

Caroline almost backed out, but the reaction her friends would have kept her from doing so.

_"How are you ever going to have a life if you keep pushing away ever opportunity?" _Brittnay would say.

_"Your only 16 once, Caroline. You have to get the most out of it that you can." _Would come from Amy.

Once they got inside, Rick offered her a drink. She accepted and soon found out he had given her a glass of alcohol.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Vodka."

_I shouldn't be drinking this, but maybe if I just drink a little bit, I'll relax._

Reluctently, she took a drink. It burned her throat a little.

"I thought we could watch this." He put in some action movie. As the movie started up, he pulled out a joint and a lighter and set them on the end table next to him.

Caroline took another drink of her vodka. Rick got up and turned off the lights. Coming to sit back on the couch, he placed his arm on the back of the couch behind her. She continued to take drinks.

After a while, it didn't hurt to, and she found herself feeling much better. Rick reached over and picked up his joint and lighter. After taking a few hits off of it, he offered it to Caroline.

_Oh, hell, why not._

She took it from him and took a hit. She coughed a little.

He took it from her and took another hit, then gave it back to her.

...

By the time the movie was over, Caroline was both really drunk and really high, but she felt better than she had in a long time.

"I hope your having fun." Rick said.

Caroline smiled. "I don't think I can remember the last time I felt this good."

Rick smiled and the next thing Caroline knew, she was lying on her back on the couch, with Rick kissing her. His hand found it's way up her leg, pushing part of her dress up. He placed kisses on her neck. Caroline wasn't fully registering what was happening. Everything was going by so fast. He reached up and pulled down her panties, completely taking them off her. The next thing she remembered was him inside her. It hurt a little, but it also felt good. Rick began to go faster. Caroline began to moan. He started pounding her harder, and she felt herself getting close. Rick exposed one of her breasts and began to suck on the nipple. That became too much for Caroline to handle. She arched her back and began to moan louder. She felt herself getting even closer. After a few more minutes, she felt herself give in completely, moan as loud as her vocal cords would let her. He reached his peak right after her. It wouldn't be untill morning before Caroline realized the gravity of what just happened.

...

Sunday morning came and Caroline rubbed her eyes as the sun shined through the windows. Standing up she suddenly realized she was at Rick's place. The memory of the night before flooded her mind.

_Oh, my God..._

She ran around collecting her things, straigtening up her clothes, and ran like hell. She didn't even know where she was going untill she ended up at Cave's front door. Tears streaming down her face she knocked on the door. After a minute or two, Cave opened the door to find a distraught and scared Caroline on his porch.

"Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" Cave asked, concerned laced his voice.

Caroline walked through the door, dropped her things, and broke down in tears. Cave closed the front door and pulled her into a hug.

"What's going on, Caroline?"

She looked up at him. "Rick."

"Rick?"

Caroline went on to tell him what happened. Her agreeing to date the next guy that asked, him finding out, going back to his place, the alcohol, the weed, the sex. She started crying again.

Cave was livid. One of his best friends took advantage of the girl he KNEW Cave liked. He told Caroline he'd be right back. Stepping outside he called Rick.

"Mmmm hello?"

"Get you loser ass over her right NOW!" Cave practically screamed the last part.

"What's wrong man? You sound pissed."

"Get over here! If your not here in the next 10 seconds, I'm hunting your ass down!"

"Whoa, whoa easy there. I'm on my way."

...

It took Rick less than 10 minutes to get to Cave's house.

"Cave, man what's..." umf!

Cave punched Rick in the face so hard, he fell onto the ground.

"What the hell, man!"

"You hurt Caroline."

Rick smirked. "Moans are not always a sign of pain."

Cave punched him again, this time busting Rick's lip. Rick swung back, give Cave a black eye.

"How could you? You KNOW I like her. Yet you got her drunk and high and took advantage of her."

"Not like she wanted you anyway. She turned you down, just like all the other guys who asked her."

"The only reason she said yes to you is because you knew she was going to say yes to the next person that asked her and you made her feel guilty about saying no anyway. You manipulated her!" Cave punched Rick again, this time in the gut, sending Rick to the ground. Caroline had been watching and listening from the front window.

"It doesn't matter how much you like her, Cave, I'll always have the one thing you can never have from her. I took her virginity." Rick said, with a wide smirk on his face.

Cave flew into a blind rage and began to punch and pound into Rick's face. Neighbor's heard and saw the commotion. It took 3 people to pull Cave off Rick. By that time his face was so bloody, you couldn't see skin anymore. The ambulance and police were called. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson pulled up to thier house to find Cave and Caroline being talked to by the cops.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mr. Johnson asked.

A police officer walked up to him. "And who are you, Sir?"

"I'm this boys father, now what the hell is going on?"

"You son beat another young man so badly, he's unconscious and had to be rushed the the Emergancy Room."

Mr. Johnson's eyes grew wide. He pushed past the cops and walked up to Cave. "What the hell happened?"

Cave looked up at his father. "Rick hurt her, Dad. And he didn't even care." Cave looked like he was on the brink of tears.

...

**Cave defending Caroline's honor. :) Turns out Cave's dad was right about Rick. He isn't a very good friend. **


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Chapter Eight. A new character is introduced, a scary experience for Caroline, and a lovely ending. (This is so far my longest chapter.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Caroline, Cave or any other character that belongs to Valve. I only own my OC's.**

...

A little over month had passed since the incident with Rick. Luckly for Cave, Rick didn't press charges. Probally out of fear they'd do a drug test on him. Cave had been making sure to look after Caroline ever since, driving her to and from school and walking with her to get food at lunch time. Cave felt a need to protect her. He didn't want anything like that happening to her again and Caroline rather enjoyed having Cave around. She felt safer.

One day as they were heading into math class, Caroline noticed a new guy sitting in the back of the room. He was tall, about 6' 7", red hair, blue eyes, with freckles. He was really skinny too.

Cave turned to Caroline. "Who's the new guy?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

The teacher walked in. She went behind her desk and addressed the class.

"I'd like to introduce a new student today. His name is Wheatley Merchant. Would you stand up and greet the class, Wheatley."

The tall red head stood up.

"Hello."

"Hello." the class responded. Caroline noticed his British accent.

...

Lunch time came and Cave and Caroline had decided to eat at school. They were sitting in the cafeteria when Caroline noticed Wheatley sitting all by himself.

"Poor guy. Being the new kid always sucks." Caroline said.

"Well, why don't we invite him to sit with us? That way he won't be alone."

Caroline remembered Cave treating her the same way when they were little. She smiled.

Cave waved at Wheatley and motion for him to come to thier table. Wheatley got up, picked up his tray, and walked over.

"Hey, your Wheatley. Your that new guy in our math class." Cave said.

Wheatley nodded.

"Why don't you sit with us?" Caroline said.

Wheatley smiled shyly. "Ok." He sat down across from Cave.

"So what brings you to our school?" Caroline asked.

"Moved here from London. Dad has family here."

"Cool. So how do you like it so far?"

Wheatley shrugged. "I don't know. Your the first people who have even bothered to talk to me."

"Well, you always welcome to sit with us, Wheatley."

Wheatley smiled. "Thanks. That's nice to hear."

Caroline smiled.

Wheatley looked from Cave, to Caroline, and back to Cave. He noticed Cave's arm on the back of Caroline's chair.

"Um, can I ask a question?"

They nodded.

"Um, are you two, like, you know, dating?"

Cave and Caroline looked at each other.

"No, we're just friends." Caroline said.

Cave felt his heart sink a little.

"So what do you like to do?" Cave asked, trying to distract himself from the sinking feeling.

"Well, I like to write stories, and play basketball..."

Cave grinned. "You know, me and my friend James are looking for someone to replace...to shoot hoops with us. How about you join us in gym class today?"

Wheatley grinned equally as much. "That sounds fantastic!"

...

After lunch, Caroline had gone to the bathroom. She had been in there a long time so Amy had come in to find her. Caroline was pacing the floor.

"Caroline we're going to be late for music class."

Caroline looked at her watch. "Just a few more minutes, and I'll be right there."

Amy eyed her suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing really. Don't worry about it. I'll be there in just a minute. Go ahead and go to class."

Amy knew something was wrong. "Caroline, tell me. What's going on?"

Caroline slowly walked into one of the stalls and came out with a pregnancy test in her hand. Amy's eyes grew wide.

"Oh, wow..."

Caroline's eyes were full of tears. "What am I going to do if it comes back positive? My parents barley leave enough money for me. There's no way I can take care of a baby."

Amy walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "We'll figure something out, I promise. You won't have to do it alone."

Caroline was greatful for the support. She sniffed and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Amy."

They stood there in silence as they waited for the results. Caroline was occupied by her thoughts.

_I know I want children, but not like this. Maybe I could give the child away. Let someone adopt it._

Caroline knew the minute she thought of it, she couldn't do it.

_I know what it feels like to have parents that never wanted you. I couldn't do that to a child. It's not it's fault it's mother is a idiot and it's father is a worthless son of a..._

Suddenly, Caroline's watch alarm went off. Her and Amy looked at each other. Caroline took a deep breath.

_Let's get this over with._

She checked the test. Negative. She let out a sigh of relief.

Amy smiled at her friend. "See, it all worked out."

Caroline smiled and threw away the test. She headed to music class with Amy.

The teacher noticed they were late. Which he knew was unusual for them.

"Girls, your late. Is everthing ok?"

Caroline smiled one of the biggest smiles she could remember.

"Yes. Everything is wonderful."

The teacher just nodded. Caroline sang just a little bit louder that day.

...

Wheatley, James, and Cave were playing basketball in the gym. Wheatley scored yet another point.

"Damn, man. Your good." James said.

Wheatley smiled a little. "I guess so."

James laughed. "There is no guessing about it. Your good. If Rick were still here, we would have wiped the floor with him by now."

Cave's felt some of his anger rising at the sound of Rick's name. "I've got to get some air."

Wheatley looked confused. "What's wrong with him? What happened to your friend?"

"Cave has issues with Rick."

"What happened?"

James took a deep breath. "Since you met Cave, you've no doubt met Caroline, right?"

Wheatley nodded.

James continued. "Well, Cave has a bit of a thing for her. Well he asked her out, and she turned him down. Rick, the guy who used to play with us, took advange of her. Got her drunk and high, then had sex with her. She was so upset when she realized what had happened. Cave was pissed. He beat Rick's face so bad, he was unconscious for a while, and had to have stitches in his lips, nose and one of his ears. Rick never came back to school after that. Word is he moved out of town."

Wheatley stared in disbelief. "Wow...Cave doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would do that."

"Everyone has thier limits."

Wheatley nodded.

After Cave came back, James apologized. Cave told him not to worry about it. The guys continued to play for the rest of the gym period.

...

Brittnay, Caroline, and Amy were enjoying some girl time at Amy's house after school. Brittnay was doing everyone's make-up, Amy was picking out clothes, and Caroline was doing everyone's hair. The girls were talking about thier usual topic, boys.

"I think I might dump, Chris. He's getting way too boring." Amy said.

Caroline and Brittnay looked at each other as if to say: _We saw this coming._

"Well, speaking of break-ups, me and James have decided we're better off as friends."

Caroline and Amy looked at her in shock.

"Wow, you two have been dating for, what, 6 years?" Amy said.

Brittnay nodded. "We both felt like we weren't going anywhere. We had basically boiled down to becoming friend with benefits and neither of us really wanted that. So we felt it was time to move on."

"Oh." Caroline said.

Amy suddenly got nervous. "Um. Caroline. I feel like I need to apologize to you."

Caroline looked confused. "For what?"

"For hounding you so much about getting a boyfriend. If I'd have know what was going to happen, I would have never bugged you about it."

"I'm sorry too. Guess we weren't being very good friends, were we?" Brittnay said sadly.

Caroline sighed. "I'm the one who should have backed out. I knew it wasn't a good idea to go to his place. I just didn't listen to my instincts."

Amy put her hand on Caroline's arm. "How about we all screwed up?"

Brittnay agreed.

Caroline smiled a little. "Ok, sounds good."

...

The girls continued to have fun for the next few hours. Suddenly, Caroline's cell phone went off. Her alarm was telling her it was time to head home.

"I've got to go guys, sorry. Have to get up early and get the bills paid before school. I'll see you guys later, and Amy I promise I'll return this dress."

Amy smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Caroline smiled. "Thanks. Bye guys."

"Bye" the girls said in unison.

Caroline walked out of Amy's house and began the long walk home. As she turned the first corner, a car pulled up beside her. It was Cave.

"What are you doing walking alone at this time of night?"

"Heading home. I have to get bills paid in the morning."

"Well, hop in, I'll drive you home."

"Cave, you really don't have to."

"It's not safe for a beautiful woman to be walking alone at night. Come on get in and I'll take you home."

Caroline blushed at the compliment. "Your not going to give up are you?"

"Nope. I'll drive really slow beside you the whole way if I have to."

Caroline shook her head. "Fine, you win."

She got into the car and shut the door. Cave started to drive. Once she was in the car he noticed the dress she was wearing. Black, knee length, showing a modest amount of clevage. He also noticed she was wearing a light bit of make-up. He hoped Caroline wouldn't notice the effect her apperance was having on him.

"So, what were you doing on the other side of town at this hour?" Caroline asked.

"I could ask you the same question."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I was at Amy's."

"Ah. I was giving Wheatley a ride home."

"Oh, really. I didn't know he lived out here."

"Yep. Just a few blocks from where I picked you up."

They pulled up into Caroline's driveway. Cave stopped the car and got out.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked.

"Making sure you get to the door safely." Cave said, smiling.

Caroline rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be fine walking from the driveway to my door."

Cave laughed. "Maybe I'm just using it as an excuse to spend as much time with you as possible."

Caroline smiled. "And why would you want to do that?"

"Because I think your beautiful and smart. And I'm hoping that one of these days I'll ask you out and you'll actually say yes."

_He's persistant isn't he? Well, he is a nice guy and he's been so protective of me this past month. It's been nice and I know he wouldn't do anything I didn't want him to. Why am I not giving him a chance?_

Caroline walked up to Cave and gently placed a kiss on his lips. "Maybe I'm just waiting for you to ask me again."

...

**Aww, now how was that ending? Caroline's been through alot, so it was nice to write some happy moments for her. There's more in store for her, however, because as we all know, life has it's bumps. (Can't you tell she's one of my favorite Portal 2 characters? LOL)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since I've updated. First we lost our internet for a little over a week, then our AC went out ect. (quite a few things went wrong with our house). Now I've been dealing with people in and out of my house fixing things. (I'm still waiting for them to replace our central unit.)**

**So anyway, I've been busy with the above and a few other more personal things, so again, I'm sorry this update took a while.**

**Enough of my boring chatter, lol. On to the story...**

...

Cave could hardly believe what happened.

_She actually kissed me?_

Caroline smiled and opened her door.

"I'll see you tommorrow."

Cave smiled and nodded. Caroline closed the door.

Cave couldn't keep his mind off that kiss. He had kissed 3 other girls, but none of them compaired to what Caroline had made him feel.

_She's something._

Cave smiled and couldn't wait until he saw her in the morning.

...

The next morning, Amy was talking so much, Caroline thought she was going to go deaf.

"Oh my God, you actually KISSED him?"

Caroline nodded. Amy had the look of pure glee on her face.

"How did it happen?"

"Well, I was leaving your house, and he saw me and offered me a ride. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted on it. He said that if I didn't get in the car, he was going to have to drive slowly next to me the whole way."

"Awwwwww. That's SO sweet!"

Caroline laughed. "Anyway, he told me that a beautiful woman shouldn't be walking home alone and I knew he wasn't going to give up, so I got in the car."

Amy sighed. "How romantic. So then what?"

"Well, when we got to my house, he insisted on walking me to my door. I told him I was more than capable of walking to the door on my own. He said he just wanted to spend as much time with me as possible."

"Awwwww." Amy placed her hand over her heart.

"Then I asked him why he wanted to do that, and he said because I was beautiful and smart and that he hoped one day I would agree to go out with him. Well, I realized that he was being all the things I wanted. Kind, sweet, protective, patient. So I kissed him and told him that maybe I was just waiting for him to ask again."

Amy gasped. "That's so amazing. It's like one of those romance novels!"

Caroline laughed. "I guess?"

"Did anything else happen last night?" Amy asked with a wink.

Caroline blushed. "No. Sorry to disappoint you."

Amy waved her hand. "It's ok. It'll happen one of these days."

"If you say so." Caroline said laughing.

...

Amy and Caroline walked down the halls of the school. Caroline had Science, and Amy had English. They walked until the point they had to go seperate ways. Amy noticed Cave walking towards them.

"Hey, look. It's Romeo."

Caroline looked over at Cave. She laughed.

"His name is not Romeo."

"Well, Cave isn't his name either. It's Johnathan."

Caroline sighed. "That's different. It's his nickname."

"Well, I think it should be Romeo."

"What should be Romeo?" Cave asked.

Amy smiled. "You, as a matter of fact." She walked down the hall. "See you later Caroline."

"What was that about?" Cave asked confused.

"Just Amy being Amy."

"Um, Ok?" Cave said laughing.

Caroline shook her head. "Don't ask."

"No problem." Cave laughed. "So, can I walk you to class? My class is only a few doors down, so we'll be going in the same direction anyway."

Caroline smiled. "Sure."

As they were walking, Cave tried to summon up the nerve to reach out and hold her hand.

_Come on, just go for it. She kissed you, remember._

He slowly slipped her hand into his. She lightly gripped his hand, and they walked to class hand in hand.

...

For the next 6 months, Cave and Caroline spent most of their time together. Whether it was seeing a movie, going out to eat, or just taking a drive around town, they were pretty much inseperable. Untill one day, Caroline's parents decided they were moving to Florida.

"But, I don't want to move! I like living here!"

Her mother looked at Caroline sternly. "It doesn't matter if you like living here. We're moving. Now you have a week to get your stuff packed. Whatever you don't have packed doesn't come with you."

Caroline started crying. "All my friends are here."

"You'll make new friends." her father said.

"I don't WANT to make new friends. I want to keep the ones I have here."

_How am I going to just leave them. Especially Cave._

Mr. Mclain walked up to her. "Now listen here. We're your parents and if we say we're moving, then we're moving."

Caroline's tears wouldn't stop. She ran to her room and locked the door. She grabbed a few things and threw them into a bag. Grabbing her keys and cell phone, she bolted out of the room and headed for the front door.

"Where do you think your going?" her father asked.

"Out." She slammed the door and headed to Brittnay's.

...

Brittnay couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Florida? But that's so far away from here!"

Caroline sniffed, still crying. "I know."

"Well, you can't leave. We'll never get to see you again. And Cave will be heartbroken."

At the sound of Cave's name Caroline curled up in a ball on Brittnay's bed and cried. Brittnay sat next to her and rubbed her back. After several minutes Caroline sat up, eyes red from crying.

"Don't say anything to him. Please."

Brittnay nodded. "Not a word. I promise."

Caroline nodded. "Thanks."

"Your welcome. I'm going to call Amy, let her know what's going on, ok?"

Caroline nodded. Brittnay went to get the phone. Caroline sat in the corner of the bed, thinking.

_How am I going to tell him? God, why does this have to happen now? My life was getting so much better._

...

Caroline avoided Cave for the next several days. He had no idea what was wrong and he was worried. She never said anything about being mad at him. In fact the last time he talked to her, she was really happy. What could have happened? He saw Brittnay and Amy walking down the hall. Maybe they would know something.

"Hey, hold on you guys. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Both girls stopped and faced him.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Caroline's been avoiding me and I don't know why. Do you guys know what's going on? I'm getting worried. She won't return my calls, and she won't answer her door."

Brittnay and Amy exchanged glances. Cave knew they knew something.

"Please, tell me what's going on?"

Brittnay was the first to speak. "We promised Caroline we wouldn't say anything."

Amy nodded. "I think it's up to her to tell you. Sorry."

She placed a sympatheic hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off.

"I have to find her. I need her to talk to me."

Cave took off to look for her.

...

At the stadium, Caroline was sitting in the stands. She watched the clouds in the sky and wondered what Florida would be like.

_Do they have clouds like these? And can you see the stars at night?_

She wondered how long she could avoid Cave. She knew she had to tell him eventually.

_Maybe I can avoid him until the moving van gets here. That way I won't have to see his sad face for too long._

Caroline sighed. Cave deserved better than that.

"Caroline!"

She turned around to see Cave climbing up the stands. She went to get up to run, but he grabbed her hand.

"Hey, what's going on? Why won't you talk to me?"

Caroline looked at the ground. Tears were already building in her eyes.

"Please talk to me. What's wrong?"

Caroline looked up at him. He could see the tears.

"Hey," he said gently, "What's going on?"

Caroline took a deep breath.

_You have to tell him._

"I don't want to go." she said, as she began to let the tears flow.

"Go, go where? You don't have to go anywhere."

Caroline nodded. "Yes I do. My parents are making me move with them to Florida." Her voice cracked on the last few words.

Cave's blood ran cold.

_Florida? But I'll never see her again. This can't be happening._

"Is that why you've been avoiding me? Because your moving?"

Caroline shook her head. "I was avoiding you because I love you and it breaks my heart to leave." She took of running out of the stadium, tears flowing freely down her face.

...

Cave slammed the front door as he came into his house after school. He had tears in his eyes. His mother heard the door and came down the hall from the living room.

"Hey, you know better than to slam the door."

"Sorry, Mom." his voice quiet.

Mrs. Johnson could see the tears in her son's eyes.

"What happened?" she asked soothingly.

A few loose tears ran down his cheeks. "Caroline is moving to Florida."

Mrs. Johnson could see the pain in his face. She knew he was very fond of Caroline. She gently pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Johnathan. I wish she could stay too."

Cave hugged his mother for a minute. Then he let go and headed up to his room.

...

**Poor Cave and Caroline.**

**Now I've still got stuff to deal with so I'm not 100% sure if the next update will be timely, but I'll try my best. Hopefully this stuff will get sorted quickly.**

**Read and Review please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I'm sorry for the long wait. Been busy with life. I really wanted this chapter to turn out differently, but I couldn't figure out how to make it work, so it is what it is I guess.**

...

Mr. Johnson came in from work and found his wife sitting on the couch. She didn't look happy. He walked into the living room and sat his briefcase down.

"What happened?"

Mrs. Johnson looked up at her husbond.

"Johnathan is heartbroken right now."

Mr. Johnson sighed. "Him and Caroline broke up?"

His wife shook her head. "She's moving to Florida."

"Oh. Wow. I wonder why?"

Mrs. Johnson shrugged. "All I know is what Johnathan told me."

Mr. Johnson shook his head. "I worry what will happen to her now. She won't have a place to go when they up and leave her home for weeks to months on end."

Mrs. Johnson sighed. "Too bad we can't make the Mclain's leave her here. It's not like they really care anyway. They treat her more like a burden than anything."

Mr. Johnson sat down next to his wife.

"They should just let us take her in."

Suddenly he smiled from ear to ear.

"I've got an idea."

He got up and headed out of the house.

As he crossed the street, he thought about his idea. He sure hoped it worked, because if it did, then everything would work out better for everyone. He noticed the car in the driveway. He approached the door and knocked. A couple minutes later, Caroline answered the door. She looked miserable.

"Oh, Hello Mr. Johnson." Caroline said sadly. She tried to force a small smile.

"Hey, Caroline, do your parents happen to be home at the moment?"

Caroline nodded.

"Can I talk to them please?"

"Sure." She left to get them.

A moment later, Mr. Mclain came up to the door.

"What do you want, Johnson?"

"Could we perhaps talk outside?"

Mr. Mclain wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but agreed.

"I heard you guys are moving."

Mr. Mclain nodded. "We'll be gone by the end of the week."

Mr. Johnson nodded. "Seems like Caroline doesn't want to go."

Mr. Mclain snorted. "If this is another attempt to tell me how to raise my own kid..."

"No, no, no. That's not what this is." Mr. Johnson assured him.

Mr. Mclain suddenly seemed interested. "What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could convince you to leave Caroline with us. I mean she doesn't want to leave. We don't want her to leave. And you and your wife can do whatever it is you do, without being interrupted to take care of her. The way I see it, it's a win-win situation for everyone."

Mr. Mclain glared at him. "What makes you think I'll just hand over my daughter to you?"

"Please, Dad. Can I stay?" Caroline asked. She had been listening at the window.

"Why? They aren't your family."

"Because I'm happy here. They've been more of a family to me then you guys ever have. You guys have left me alone and ignored me since I was 4 years old. You guys never wanted me. I know that. Why not just leave me here with someone who does want me. I'll never have to be a burden to you ever again."

Mr. Mclain stood there for a moment. "Let me go talk to your mother for a minute." He went back inside.

Caroline looked up at Mr. Johnson. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. Mr. Johnson could see it written on her face.

_Thank you._

After about 10 minutes, the Mclains came outside.

"You want her? You can have her." Mr. Mclain looked at his wife. "Come on, Honey, we have packing to do." They went back inside.

Caroline smiled really big and practically tackled Mr. Johnson in a hug.

...

Since the Johnson's only lived a few houses down the street, it was really easy to move Caroline's stuff in. Mr. Johnson had emptied his home office so she would have her own room. It was just down the hall from Cave's.

For the first time in her life, Caroline felt truly happy. Her 17th birthday was just around the corner, and this was the best present she could ever ask for. A real home, a real family, and Cave. She didn't need anything else.

Cave walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm so glad your not leaving."

He kissed her lips gently.

She smiled. "Me too. Brittnay and Amy were both thrilled when I told them too."

Mrs. Johnson smiled. It was nice to see them both happy. She always had a bit of a soft spot for Caroline. She was the closest thing she had to a daughter and she knew her husbond would agree. She's like...no...IS a member of the family.

...

Two weeks later, Caroline had settled into living with the Johnson's pretty well. The only thing that bugged her was that her and Cave were not allowed to be in each other's room unless the door was open.

_Kinda makes it hard to make out that way._

Today, her, Cave, and Wheatley were sitting together at lunch. They were talking about their plans for the future.

"I want to go into business for myself." Cave said.

"I'll probally work in accounting or something. Math is really my only strong subject." Wheatley said.

Cave looked at him. "How about you work for me? You can keep the finances in order. I've never really been good at math."

Wheatley laughed. "Sounds good."

"What about you, Caroline? What do you want to do?"

Caroline shrugged. "I don't really know. I just like to learn new things and observe people."

"Sounds like science to me." Wheatley said.

Cave laughed. "Well, then I can run a science business of some kind. Caroline can be in charge of the actually science stuff, and you can keep the books."

"What kind of science business?" Wheatley asked.

Cave shrugged. "Hell if I know. Maybe we can run experiments or something. Change the world somehow."

"Bullet proof shower curtians." Wheatley said suddenly, taking a bite of his sandwich.

They all laughed.

...

After school, Cave and Caroline were heading home.

"Hey, do you have the notes from English class? I kinda fell asleep during the presentation." he said.

Caroline rolled her eyes and laughed. "You'd forget your head if it wasn't attached."

Cave smiled. Caroline shook her head and began to look through her bag for her notebook. Suddenly she found something.

"Oh, no. I forgot I borrowed Wheatley's Math book. Could we stop by his house real quick? He's going to need it."

Cave nodded. "Sure."

He took a left and headed to Wheatley's.

...

Another beer bottle flew his way. Wheatley dodged it and it hit the wall behind him, shattering into pieces.

"Clean up your mess! I don't want broken glass everywhere!"

Wheatley sighed. "Yes, Dad."

He headed to the kitchen to get a broom. He saw his younger brother watching from the doorway.

"Go back to your room. I'll deal with Dad. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But I'm the one that broke the lamp."

Wheatley sighed. "I know that, but Dad doesn't have to. Now go."

His brother hurried off to his room. Wheatley emerged from the kitchen, broom and dust pan in hand.

"Food done yet?" His dad asked, opening another beer, the smell of beer already oozing from his mouth.

"I haven't started it yet. I was working on my homework." Wheatley flinched. He knew what was coming next.

...

Cave and Caroline pulled up to Wheatley's house. As they got out of the car, they could hear shouting.

"Don't you EVER disobey me again! If I tell you to start cooking dinner, you bloody well better start cooking dinner! I don't care how much homework you have. I want to eat now, and your lazy ass hasn't even started cooking yet!"

Cave and Caroline looked at each other. They walked up to the window to see inside.

Wheatley was standing in the living room, and a man of about the same height, but much heavier, was standing in front of him yelling.

"But Dad, I HAVE to get my homework done. I'm already behind and they are threatening to fail me!"

This earned Wheatley a fist to the side of his face.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK BACK TO ME! I AM YOUR FATHER!"

"Yeah, and a piss poor one at that." Wheatley muttered.

Before Cave and Caroline knew what was happening, Wheatley's dad had him pinned to the ground, punching him and even placing his hands around his throat. Wheatley could hardly breathe.

"Dad, stop! I can't breathe!"

His dad ignored him.

"Dad, please!" Wheatley's voice was faint.

Finally his dad let go. "Get your pathedic ass in there and cook dinner."

Wheatley got up, gasping for air. He rubbed the redness on his neck and disappeared into the kitchen.

Caroline held on to Cave and began to cry, while he stood there frozen in complete shock.

...

The next day at school, Caroline and Cave noticed Wheatley wearing a turtle neck shirt with a bruise on his left cheek. Caroline's eyes started to water again, remember what they witnessed the day before. She had kept his math book and decided to give it back to him at school. She didn't want to give his dad another reason to hurt him.

Cave walked up to him. "Hey, man. What happened to you?"

Wheatley tensed up a bit.

"Oh, you mean my face? Oh, nothing really. Was trying to go to the bathroom last night and it was so dark I ran into the door frame." Wheatley lied.

Cave nodded. "Well tell that "doorframe" that if he ever touches you again, I'll call the cops on him and have his ass arrested. I have an uncle who works for the police department."

Wheatley sighed. They knew.

"How did you find out?" he asked, looking at the ground.

Caroline placed a hand on his arm. "We came by yesterday to return the Math book I borrowed. We saw through the window."

Wheatley started to cry. Caroline pulled him into a hug. Cave patted him on the back.

"Why don't you tell the cops what's going on?" Caroline asked.

Wheatley shook his head. "If I do that they will seperate me and my little brother and I won't be able to protect him. He'll be all alone. I can't abandon him like that."

Caroline had no idea what to say to that. There was only one thing she could think of to say at all.

"Remember, if you need anything, we're here. Ok?"

Wheatley gave a half nod. "Ok."

...

Things never really got better for Wheatley. Only Cave and Caroline knew the truth. Cave wanted so badly to call the cops, but he knew if Wheatley denied what was happening, it wouldn't do much good.

Wheatley decided to go to college in town so he could continue to protect his brother and Cave and Caroline went to college a few towns away.

It would be another seven years before they would see Wheatley again.

...

**Next chapter, the beginings of Aperture! Might take a bit of time for it. Having a bit of writers block with it. I know where I want the story to go and a few thing I want/need to have happen along the way. I just have to figure out how to get it flowing right. **

**(This officially has become the longest story I have ever written.)**


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